


Wine and Other Spirits

by Telesilla



Series: Was, Is, Will Be [3]
Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-09-10
Updated: 2003-09-10
Packaged: 2017-10-05 21:58:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telesilla/pseuds/Telesilla





	Wine and Other Spirits

Lucius' mother was French, from a wizard family as old and influential in her native land as the Malfoys were in England. Because of this, young Lucius grew up drinking wine with dinner. Heavily watered wine yes, but it was still of the same fine quality as the wine his parents drank. At first he didn't like it, but Maman said it was both good and good for him, so he drank it and eventually learned to like it.

When he went to Hogwarts and discovered that you didn't get wine, even watered down wine, with meals, he was scornful in a quiet way. The other Slytherins were impressed when they learned that he drank wine at home; it was one more way that the pale, unusual Malfoy boy stood out among his classmates.

When, in his third year, he first visited Hogsmead, he was supremely annoyed to be told he was too young for anything but butterbeer. That night he sent an indignant owl back home and within a week he'd been sent a bottle of Chateau Fee Noir. All of his friends wanted to help him drink it but he refused although he did give some of it to Severus, who wanted it for some sort of advanced potion he was making. The rest he kept for himself, having a small glass of the dark heavy red every once in a while.

* * *

Narcissa likes flower wines and sweet, syrupy cordials. Lucius can't stand them but he makes sure that his wine cellar is as well stocked with them as it is with the complex dark wines he prefers. There's a very extensively stocked liquor cabinet as well; Malfoy hospitality is predicated on serving the very best. Lucius hates it when they have to give parties, there's nothing like watching the creme de la creme of the pureblood wizarding world get well and truly soused on fine wines and the best cognac. _They might as well be drinking cheap Muggle gin._

He brings Draco down one during one New Years Eve gala, waking the boy up at two in the morning. Draco hasn't been allowed to drink wine as a child -- Narcissa thinks it's bad for him -- and Lucius wants him to see the ill effects of it. Draco laughs a little as he watches the adults, some of them the parents of his schoolmates, behave like idiots.

Lucius sneers and Draco's laughter dies. "Vulnerability is very amusing, Draco. Provided it happens to someone other than one's self."

"Yes Father."

 

* * *

 

After his trial, Lucius will fight hard to resist the temptation to spend the rest of his life trying to drink his wine cellar dry. It won't be easy and during his first year of house arrest, there will be nights when he fails. And then, he will make the mistake of trying to contact Draco while drunk. It will be two years before Lucius has so much as a glass port after dinner. And even then he won't drink more than half of it.

"I think you'll find the Veela Bianca more to your liking, Mr. Potter."

"Actually, it's too light for my tastes. Hermi...." Harry will stumble over the name and then recover and move on smoothly, leaving Lucius to wonder what he was going to say. "There's a Goblin blue that I had in Egypt a few years ago. I don't know if you've heard of it."

Lucius will give Harry a surprised look before nodding.

"I'm not an 'ignorant, Muggle-raised brat' anymore, Mr. Malfoy."

"You know your wine at least, Mr. Potter."

 

_-end=_


End file.
